[[ParentalAbandonment Orphans]] [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan Takeru Takemoto and Ryo Ninomiya]] are [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary high school students]] who witness a strange light descend from the skies and then split into two. Upon investigating it, [[NakedFirstImpression they find]] a [[MoeMoe cute girl]] who [[IdentityAmnesia doesn't seem to know who she is]]. Her appearance, along with that of her "little sister" Akari, shake up the simple lives of the town with the joy of seeing the world for the first time. The story follows Hikari and Akari in their learning about humanity at its brightest and darkest, as well as their own mysterious origins.

It also contains more than its share of FanService.

While it starts out as a simple MagicalGirlfriend series, it ends up being more like a LighterAndSofter version of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.

Created by StudioGainax and animated by both StudioGainax and Creator/StudioShaft. This page [[NeedsWikiMagicLove could use a little more love]].

----!!The series provides examples of:* AffablyEvil / PunchClockVillain: [[spoiler: Ionoious]]. He behaves exactly the same both before and after his mission [[spoiler: to aid Hikari in her destruction of the world]]: polite, friendly, accomodating, even apologetic about the job he has to do. * AccidentalKiss: Between [[ThoseTwoGirls Sakurako Urushima and Amika Kurebayashi]] during the BeachEpisode, when Kimi accidentally bumps into them.* AmnesiacDissonance: Hikari's true self is very different from the sweet, cheerful girl who falls in love with Takeru.* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Hikari and Akari are anthropomorphic personifications of extinction and survival respectively... they just don't know it. MoeAnthropomorphism at that!* AnimalMotifs: Metamorphic insects, especially [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth butterflies]].* AppendageAssimilation: Takeru does this to an Extended Definition to create wings.* BeachEpisode: Episode 7 takes place at the beach.* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Hikari seems attached to Takeru because of this. Granted, he was the first person to see her, but she tells everyone she was lonely until he showed up.* BestBeerEver: In one case, as a shoutout to the [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion page image.]]* BigEater: Hikari and Akari.* ButForMeItWasTuesday: The Real Hikari isn't actually all that evil, she's just doing her job. If it means psychologically breaking down the one thing that could actually kill you, then so be it.* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: The crimson butterflies seen throughout the series [[spoiler: are [[TheLifestream the souls of beings that have died and have yet to be reborn]].]]* ButtMonkey: Takeru Takemoto (for most of the episodes)* ClingyJealousGirl: Mari turns into one when Hikari shows up.* CrazyJealousGuy: Daijirou and Shinichi, Takeru's other guy friends, also don't like that Hikari seems to have appeared out of nowhere and is hanging out with him. Hilariously, in episode 2, after Takeru's aunt and uncle have a talk with him, those two guys also drag him out afterwards to have a talk with him as well.* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[ParentalAbandonment Takeru's mother abandoned him as a child]], leaving him with his Aunt, Uncle, and a whole lot of issues. Ryo and Kimi's parents died in an accident, and they've been taking care of each other ever since.* DeclarationOfProtection: Takeru to Hikari. The twist in this case is that [[spoiler:Takeru is an Extended Definition organism designed to prevent the Seventh Mass Extinction... that Hikari is here to cause.]]* {{Determinator}}: Takeru ''will'' protect Hikari. [[spoiler:Even if it goes against his Extended Definition instincts]].** [[DulcineaEffect It doesn't matter that he just met her five minutes ago]]* EnergyBeing: [[spoiler: Hikari and Akari's]] true forms, as seen when [[spoiler: Akari]] transforms her arm into a LaserBlade to stop [[spoiler: Evil Hikari from destroying the world]].* EvolutionaryLevels: Of a sort. Extended Definition is essentially instant evolution to one's maximum physical (and metaphysical) limits.* {{Fanservice}}: The series averts BarbieDollAnatomy when it comes to breasts, and isn't afraid to flaunt it. The series even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades it]]: in one scene, Jennifer gets kinda cozy with Takeru, and a guy screaming "Aww yeah!!" can be heard in the background.* FestivalEpisode: Obon festival, to be more precise. Made plot relevant since it is during this festival which people honor the deceased that Hikari first comes to understand death.* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Both Jennifer (who spends about 80% of her screentime drunk or drinking) and Ionious (who Jennifer is always forcing to drink).* HotScientist: Jennifer to a tee, being a busty blonde American woman in a lab coat.* HotSpringsEpisode: Episode 6 becomes one when the group comes across a hidden hot spring.* HumansAreSpecial* IKissYourFoot: Ryo to Akari when she steps on some glass.* IndirectKiss: At the end of the BeachEpisode.* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Akari & Hikari (pictured above left to right) aren't really human, so they have no compunctions about being naked. * KissingCousins: Mari is in love with her cousin Takeru. * LightIsNotGood: Hikari is the personification of destruction.* LiteralSplitPersonality: Hikari and Akari were once the same being.* MadScientist: Jennifer comes across as this due to her enthusiastic interest in Extended Definitions.* MaleGaze: When Hikari emerges from her cocoon of light at the beginning, the camera plays across her exposed breasts.--> '''Ryo:''' "Yep, ''definitely'' a girl."* MagicalGirlfriend: Hikari is a classic example, and Akari is more of a Magical Little Sister.* MarkedChange: Takeru's Extended Definition form has red tattoo-like markings.* MarshmallowHell: Jennifer enjoys inflicting these on boys.* MeaningfulName: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]: Hikari and Akari have no names at first, so Takeru and Ryo give them descriptive names.* {{Metamorphosis}}: Metamorphosis is a recurring theme in This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, once the [[CerebusSyndrome Cerebus Syndrome]] and rampant [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth butterfly]] symbolism kick in. Besides the aforementioned blood-red [[ButterflyOfDoom butterflies]], [[spoiler: [[MagicalGirlfriend Hikari]] and [[MysteriousWaif Akari]] will transform the world, [[ApocalypseMaiden one way]] [[MindHug or another]].]]** Hell, even the theme song (performed by [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Yoko Takahashi]]) is called 'Metamorphose'.* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: Takeru's primal instincts take over when he transforms.%%* MindScrew* MonsterOfTheWeek: The Extended Definitions, which are monstrous versions of creatures made extinct [[spoiler: by Hikari]]. The ones encountered resemble an ''Anomalocaris'', a prehistoric fish, a theropod dinosaur, and [[spoiler: Takeru,]] a ''Homo sapians''.* MoodWhiplash: The tone of what begins as a silly Fanservice anime turns ''very'' serious starting about episode 8.* {{Motifs}}: As well as the insects, DNA-type patterns show up quit a bit* ObfuscatingStupidity: Obfuscating Drunkenness in Jennifer's case.* OneWingedAngel: The Extended Definitions are this for various species in danger of extinction, [[GlassCannon mutating to gain overwhelming offence at the cost of their defensive capabilities]].** Ioneous transforms into [[{{Kaiju}} Anastatious]] to bring about the end of the world at Evil Hikari's bidding.* ParentalAbandonment: [[FreudianExcuse Having his mother abandon him out of the blue didnt exactly leave poor Takeru with the happiest outlook on life]].* PhenotypeStereotype: Jennifer, although to be fair, the {{Moe}} aesthetic of the show makes everybody look ambiguous in nationality - the Japanese cast for the most part has realistic hair colors, and the two [[spoiler:divine-like]] girls Hikari and Akari have more improbable hair colors (bright orange and purple-red, respectively)* RobotBuddy: Both Ioneous and Kuon, the latter being a shard of the former.* RuleOfThree: ThoseTwoGuys are convinced that a third girl will fall from the sky, solely because of this. It doesn't happen, of course. [[spoiler: Technically, there already ''are'' three girls: Hikari and Akari combined.]] * ShoutOut: ''Anime/PleaseTeacher'', ''{{Ikkitousen}}'', ''UruseiYatsura'', ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', ''{{Mahoromatic}}'' and in the English dub, ''TheSimpsons''.** Like Takeru's transformation is not a shout out to Devilman... * ShipperOnDeck: Most of the supporting cast, but ThoseTwoGirls, who ship both Takeru + Hikari and Takeru + Mari, most vocally.* SiblingYinYang: Ryo is a soft-hearted CloudCuckooLander, his little sister Kimi has it together, and takes things like bringing a hungry homeless girl into their house seriously...%%* SkepticismFailure%%* SqueakyEyes* StrippedToTheBone: Evil Hikari {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s a theropod Extended Definition by doing this to it.* SuperPoweredEvilSide: Hikari's lighter-haired [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyed]], much more forward alternate personality, tasked with causing mass extinctions, is far more powerful than her appearance lets on.** Takeru's transformed ([[spoiler:Extended Definition]]) form comes with more feral instincts, leaving him to brutalize the various monsters he encounters. [[spoiler: It's also driven by instinct to kill Hikari at the end of the series.]]* SuperMode: When Takeru takes contol of his [[spoiler: Extended Definition]] form.* TalkingToThemself: Hikari's good and evil personalities argue with each other.* TemptingFate: "Well don't worry, your school isn't going to just instantaneously collapse..."* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Hikari is a CosmicEntity tasked with causing the extinction of all life on Earth.* TheTalk: It's implied that Takeru got this from his Aunt and Uncle, as well as ThoseTwoGuys. Of course, he ''did'' just bring home a girl who he found naked in the woods, and is blatantly infatuated with him.* ThoseTwoGuys: Who also happen to be rather GenreSavvy.** Unfortunately for them, they haven't noticed they're Those Two Guys.** Sakurako Urushima and Amika Kurebayashi enjoy egging on the love triangle between Mari, Takeru, and Hikari. * TomatoInTheMirror: It turns out Hikari is [[spoiler: a goddess of death come to exterminate all life on earth]] and Takeru is [[spoiler: an Extended Definition born to kill her]].* TransformationSequence: Takeru provides a notably male-only version.* {{Tsundere}}: Mari is a Type A. Played with when her [[CannotSpitItOut inability to spit it out]] finally results in her screaming at and slapping Hikari and breaking out her SuperPoweredEvilSide to bring the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.* TwinTelepathy: Hikari and Akari hum the same songs and eat the same foods before meeting. * UndeadTaxExemption: Almost all of Takeru's friends and family seem to accept Hikari without trouble or too much suspicion regarding how she ended up on Earth.* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: If Mari hadn't bitch slapped Hikari, the whole [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt End Of The World As We Know It]] situation would never of come up. [[SarcasmMode Thanks for ruining]] WhatCouldHaveBeen!* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Hikari coming to understand the darker sides of human emotion is a strong part of the MoodWhiplash in the later series.* WindsOfDestinyChange: Ryo somehow gains the power to alter probability, likely from exposure to Hikari or Akari.----